Hi there! I was wondering if you had any Taobao reccomendations for more casual/adventurer type hanfu? Like the sort Sun Wukong wears in the 1996 adaptation of Journey to the West? Or just hanfu reccomendations if somebody wanted to cosplay him in general- Thank you!
Hi, thanks for the question!
Sun Wukong/孙悟空 from Journey to the West/西游记 is mostly depicted wearing a tunic that reaches down between the hips and the knees, fastened with a sash, and combined with trousers:
This style of hanfu that combines a cross-collar tunic + sash + trousers is called shuhe/裋褐 (also known as duanda/短打). Convenient and practical, shuhe was worn by common folk - men, women, and children - for daily life, including activities like farming. Therefore, shuhe is in my opinion the most ideal style for casual/adventurer type hanfu. Below - shuhe in modern illustrations, historical paintings, and period dramas:
Despite being one of the most commonly worn hanfu styles historically, there aren’t many shuhe options available for regular wear in the market currently, because hanfu wearers today prefer fancier/more formal styles. Below - a few men’s hanfu styles, from left to right: yichang/ruqun, zhiju, shuhe, & yuanlingpao:
Nevertheless, there is a Taobao shop I can recommend for shuhe - Chonghui Hantang/重回汉唐, which offers shuhe in four color schemes (row 1, row 2):
For Sun Wukong cosplay, I also recommend getting traditional huwan/护腕 (wrist guards) (row 1 - 1, 2) and xuezi/靴子 (boots) (row 2 - 1, 2) to complete the look:
For more references, please see my shuhe tag.
